Litigation Lawyers in East Grand Forks

A civil deposition in East Grand Forks, Minnesota happens in many civil litigation cases, as part of the discovery procedure.

The discovery procedure in East Grand Forks, Minnesota is one of the most significant parts of the civil litigation process. During the discovery phase, each side of the lawsuit is obligated to make all of the relevant information it has in its possession available to the other side.

In East Grand Forks, Minnesota, one way to receive this information is to find the people involved in the dispute (whether they're witnesses or parties), and ask them questions about the issues you believe them to have knowledge of. A civil deposition is typically a pretty simple process: the person being deposed is sworn in (they are under oath, just as if they were in a courtroom). Because the whole point of a deposition is to get testimony on the record, a stenographer or video technician will also be present, recording the whole deposition. The lawyer then asks questions of the witness, and the lawyers for the other side are able to object to specific lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in East Grand Forks, Minnesota

In East Grand Forks, Minnesota, the main reason to conduct a deposition, as opposed to having someone testify in court, is to save time. After days of depositions, the jury can be presented with just the relevant testimony, if the case goes to trial. Additionally, it's a good idea to conduct a deposition if there's any reason to believe that the witness will not be able to show up to court to testify, due to bad health, or any other reason.

So, it shouldn't be astonishing that civil depositions in East Grand Forks, Minnesota can generally go on for several days. If you are subpoenaed for a deposition in , Minnesota, you are typically obligated to appear. This can be a source of some inconvenience.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, East Grand Forks, Minnesota permits witnesses who are appearing in depositions to be paid a set amount of money for their time, and reimbursed for travel expenses. However, if there is any evidence that this money is being used to influence a witness' testimony, there is going to be a significant problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

When giving a deposition in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, be sure to answer all of the questions honestly, and to the absolute best of your knowledge. You will be sworn in before the deposition starts, and you will be under oath, just as if you were in open court. Thus, if you lie, you are committing perjury, which can land you in jail.

How Can A East Grand Forks, Minnesota Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to an East Grand Forks, Minnesota lawsuit and are obligated to appear at a deposition, one would hope that you've already retained a lawyer by this stage in the proceedings. Your attorney will have a lot of advice for you, which you should of course follow.

If you are not a party to the lawsuit, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least contact with an East Grand Forks, Minnesota attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.